


Missing Color

by Arytra



Series: Ranger Soul Bonds [1]
Category: Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Happy Ending, Platonic Soul Bonds, Rangers wearing each others colors with their own, Soul Bond, The original five are in the beginning, The rest of Dino Thunder are there, They just don't talk, Trust and love are important
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 06:00:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28320090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arytra/pseuds/Arytra
Summary: When a Ranger gets to a point where they love and trust another Ranger, they end up creating a bond between them that last even after they're retired as long as that love and trust remains.  During his career, Tommy accidentally broke several and he's not sure if he'll be able to even bond with the newest Rangers.  Instead, he's focused on trying to make sure that they have their own bonds so that they won't be alone.  When he talks to his friends, however, Billy believes his lack of bonds is psychological.  After all, Billy just wore green three days ago.
Series: Ranger Soul Bonds [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074044
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	Missing Color

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'll admit that this idea won't leave me alone so if you like the story and have any requests for other Rangers, let me know. If I think I can write it, I likely will.

“They aren’t bonding,” Tommy complained, holding the phone to his ear. Hayley rolled her eyes and he could practically hear her thoughts: Of course they were bonding, just not in the way he wanted. She motioned for him to put it on speaker phone which he did. There wasn’t a Ranger alive who didn’t think that when they were talking to Tommy that Hayley wasn’t listening anyway.

“Okay, are they not bonding or are you just expecting miracles?” Kim’s voice rang back to him.

“My money is on the miracle,” Billy’s sardonic tone rang it.

“Trini, Zack, and I have decided to wait to make that decision until he finishes talking,” Jason said, his tone a half-scold toward his other teammates. “That said, Zack is texting Rocky and Adam. They agree with Kim and Billy.”

“So does Aisha!” Kim exclaimed, obviously getting texts of her own. “Tanya and Kat are staying quiet.”

“Justin says, and I assure you this is a direct quote, ‘Hahahahahaha. Miracle.’,” Billy said. Before he could counter, Kim had continued.

“Let them grow into it!” She instructed. “It has to be a true bond and you can’t force that. If they don’t do it then we’ll have to get them other Ranger friends so that they can have a proper wardrobe.”

“Wardrobe, Kim?” Jason asked in exasperation.

“I love the rest of the bond, Jason, but wearing only pink is the worst,” she answered. 

Tommy winced again and Hayley met his eye this time. He hadn’t been wearing a single color that wasn’t his own for years and she knew it. For all that Kim was claiming it was about style, wearing a bonded Ranger’s color was like a security blanket and it was a blanket he hadn’t had in a long time. The kids were still new and hadn’t completely fallen into a ‘their color only’ mentality yet but if he gave them a few years then they’d be in the same boat until he fixed this. “But what if they don’t!”

“Tommy,” Jason said calmly. “Every Ranger bonds with someone. It might not be their entire team, but they still bond. Eric bonded with Wes, for what little good it did colorwise, and eventually with Taylor even if he never managed to bond with the rest of his team in time. Justin started bonding with the rest of us after we decided that his ‘not joining the family’ idea was unacceptable.”

“And if we hadn’t, he wouldn’t have at all,” Tommy said quietly. “He’s still only bonded to Kim and Rocky because they wouldn’t leave him alone.”

“I needed a new shade of blue for my wardrobe,” Kim said half-jokingly. “The point is, we made sure he wasn’t going to be alone. Just give the kids time.”

Tommy was just quiet until they finally heard Trini’s voice. “No luck with your own bonds yet?”

“No,” he answered. 

“I truly believe it’s in your head,” Billy said sternly.

“You can’t be sure about that,” Tommy snapped.

“Tommy,” Billy said calmly. “I wore green three days ago.”

Tommy hung up on all of them. Hayley looked at him. “Way to be a mature mentor.”

“Shut up, Hales.”

***

He wasn’t sure when it shifted from just random colors in their wardrobe to more than that, but it did start. Blues, reds, and yellows shifted through the three Dino Thunder Rangers like they hadn’t even that about it. Other colors faded from use. He knew it wasn’t quite there yet. They’d know when it was there. Hayley rolled her eyes. “Just tell them.”

“If I tell them, they won’t know if it’s real or not!” He complained. “And I want it to be real for them.”

She just sighed. “Just because you weren’t told, doesn’t mean that other groups aren’t. Lightspeed told Ryan right away for instance.”

“I’m not going to do anything that can mess this up for them!”

“You need to calm down!”

“I need to make sure they have this!” He explained. “That way, they won’t be alone.”

She’d heard stories of Kim calling Jason out of the blue frantically when he’d lost his Zeo powers or Zack calmly contacting Aquitar to ask Billy if he’d lost his mind. They were pretty sure that it was the connected bonds that allowed them to remember Aisha and Tanya’s true timelines. Everyone knew the story of how Mike’s ‘resurrection’ had caused the already forming bonds to explode into a color storm that only the Rangers could see or how Kendrix’ had caused a spectacle so great that Rangers on other worlds swore they felt the warmth.

They didn’t know exactly how it worked, of course, just that it was connected by the Power and it took a deep love mixed with trust to work. The original five didn’t even realize it was something that could happen because they had started out having it but when they’d let in Tommy, it was a display for all of them. And when some of those bonds had shattered, Tommy had just felt like the color in his life had been sucked out. For a Ranger with so many colors to his legacy as it was, he didn’t have access to the others and Billy believed he was too scared to try again.

“Tommy, they’re not going to be alone,” she said gently. “It’s already starting.”

“They’re starting with reds and yellows and blues,” he said quietly. Hayley closed her eyes.

“Oh, Tommy,” she said quietly. “They’ll eventually add in black more. It’s normal that they bond with each other first.”

“I haven’t worn yellow or blue in a long time,” he said quietly. She reached over and squeezed his hand.

“You will,” she promised. “Billy wore green.”

“But I can’t wear blue,” he answered. “And if Billy’s right, what if I can’t bond with the kids either?”

“If it’s all in your head,” she said. “Then you’re going to need to work through your own issues.”

“I don’t know how,” he said, his voice starting to crack. Hayley just pulled him into a hug.

“Then we’ll figure it out together,” she assured him.

***

Tommy had two things on his mind when he was released from the amber: One was that Trent was the White Ranger and he needed to tell the kids. The second was that the kids were completely bonded. On a normal day, Rangers didn’t tend to see the bonds unless they were looking for them. Yet, when he looked at them he could see the swath of Red rushing through the Blue toward Yellow. The three almost dancing together as their excitement that he was okay grew. He tried to ignore the feeling he’d remembered of a Pink bond like scarf as Kim or Kat’s bond whirled around him or of Trini’s gentle Yellow touching his arm, or Billy’s blue resting on his shoulder like a warm blanket. The bonds vanished once more from his sight and he was more able to see the kids, all young and full of relief that was better.

Time seemed to return to normal soon after as they’d found out he was stuck in the suit. Tommy was somewhat reassuring as he reminded them that he was at least no longer in the amber. He was guessing it was a survival response since being in it was the only reason he was still alive. They had also decided that it wasn’t important at the moment before sending the kids home as he needed time to adjust. They’d protested, but not too hard before leaving him almost alone in the lair. Tommy glanced in Hayley’s direction, not surprised she hadn’t left. She sighed. “I didn’t think you’d get stuck.”

“Just my luck, huh?” He asked with a slight laugh. She matched it. It wasn’t really funny, but there wasn’t anything else they could do. He sobered up after. “Trent worries me.”

“Good,” she said. “Because I’m both worried for him and because of him.”

Tommy nodded. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Right,” she answered and her resolved face softened slightly to be more affectionate. “You would have been proud of them. They’ve been doing really well.”

“I already was proud of them,” Tommy assured her. “I knew they’d do fine.”

“Really?” She asked.

“That’s what I’m telling them,” he joked and then sighed. “Is it bad if I’m worried for them?”

“I think that makes you human,” she teased. He just nodded.

“I could see that they’re fully bonded,” he told her. She sighed.

“Yeah,” she answered. “That was a fun conversation.”

“Sorry.”

“I know,” she answered. He was about to say something else when his eyes widened. His head whipped to meet hers and he could see the slight smile on her face. “So you noticed?”

“They were wearing black,” he said with a small amount of awe.

“They were wearing black,” she agreed. “They started after you were trapped. It’s not a full bond yet…”

Tommy didn’t answer, tuning her out. He wouldn’t be able to see if he could do the same, but maybe, just maybe he would be able to have a full bond again.

***

Trent joining the group was a new adventure. Sixths were notorious for not being able to bond correctly and it wasn’t as if Trent didn’t want to, but it was partially because he did and partially because the others were nervous that it wasn’t happening. Trent wanted connection and the idea of a bond was a connection. That said, the Power could recognize that he would have taken any connection and was gently pulling back. The lack of trust and genuine love wasn’t coming to the forefront as was needed from all sides. Tommy wasn’t as worried with that. They’d eventually pull it off. Even Eric had managed to bond with Wes and gained his second and final bond with Taylor later. If Eric could do it, then Tommy had little trouble believing that his group would pull it off as well.

Still, he could understand the frustration between his Rangers and wasn’t surprised when Kira was in the lair waiting for him with a frown on her face. “When do we bond with Trent, Doctor O?”

“Good morning, Kira,” Tommy told her, trying not to sigh.

“Doctor O!” She said impatiently.

“When you trust him, he trusts you, and all of you care about each other,” he answered. He sat down before looking back at her. “Sometimes, it takes a while when it comes to Sixths.”

Like any teenager, Kira looked both unimpressed and impatient. “How can we make it happen faster?”

Tommy laughed slightly. “I asked the same question about the three of you.”

“Really?” She asked, starting to calm down a bit. “Why?”

“Because my first team was already bonded from the moment they got their morphers,” he answered. “And it didn’t take too long for me to bond with them.”

Kira nodded and then frowned. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“We watched the video when Mesogog grabbed you,” she reminded him. “So we know that you were a Ranger before. We double checked with Hayley just so we’d know: Three other colors. I’ve never seen you wear anything but black, red, white, and green. So, what happened that you can’t wear yellow? Or blue? Or pink?”

“We don’t know if I can’t wear yellow and blue now,” he offered. She just stared at him and he sighed. “We broke our bond.”

“How?!” Kira asked, looking scandalized.

“Does it matter?” He asked, looking tired. Kira looked like it absolutely mattered but she knew she wasn’t going to get a direct answer. She looked at the floor and then back at him.

“What does it feel like? When it breaks?” She asked and Tommy felt she was far too young. He really needed to work on hiding things so that innocent kids didn’t end up needing to clean up his messes. He sighed.

“Like your heart getting ripped out,” he answered. “Probably literally.”

“Had a lot of heart extractions?” She asked and he laughed.

“No,” he said. “But it’s emotionally and physically painful, Kira.”

She was just quiet for a minute. “Does it go away?”

“It hasn’t yet,” he answered. He paused. “But you, Conner, Ethan have given me the start of a new bond.”

“What do you mean by a start?” She asked, looking confused.

“You’ve added black into your wardrobe…” he started and she shook her head.

“I know how bonds start Dr. O,” she interrupted. “I just don’t understand what you mean by ‘start’.”

Tommy felt just as confused as Kira probably felt. “What do you mean, Kira?”

“Doctor O, we felt the full bond happen when you came out of the amber,” she answered. “Didn’t you feel it?”

Tommy’s blood ran cold. Billy was right. There was something wrong on his end. He swallowed and looked at Kira.

“No, I didn’t,” he said, trying not to panic in front of her.

“What does that mean?” She asked. He wished he had a better answer for her. He wished he had any answer for her. Instead he pulled her into as reassuring of a hug as he could.

“I don’t know.”

***

It didn’t matter too much anyway. Tommy did his best to focus on the four kids and help with their bonding, but it wasn’t long after that he fell into a coma. Had he been able to think about it, he would have cursed the universe for continually putting him through things when he was just trying to make sure that the kids were going to be okay. Granted, this had been his horrible idea, but he thought that if he was able to get out of the suit and be visible again, they’d be able to see if he was able to react to at least part of their bond. And that maybe he would have bonded enough with Trent like he was trying to get them all fully on board. They were almost there. He knew it. As it was, his mind had decided to have a long drawn out session and there was no getting out of it. He went through everything his mind put him through and just stood there as his other selves looked at him. As they faded, he faced an older version of himself the age he was now: A mirror image. The other version of him sighed.

“We hold on to too much, you know,” he said softly. “We need to let the past go.”

“What do you mean?” He asked. His other self snorted.

“Billy can wear green,” he answered. “Kim can wear green. Jason can wear green. Trini can. Zack can. So, why can’t we wear theirs?”

“Because the bond…” he started and the man shook his head.

“No,” he said. “It’s not a one way bond, Tommy. Why can they wear green?”

“Maybe…” he started.

“Why. Can. They. Wear. Green?”

“Because I hurt them, not the other way around!” Tommy yelled. His other self just nodded once.

“And that,” he said. “Is why you don’t feel your own bonds.”

“I don’t have any,” he whispered.

“You think you shouldn’t have any,” his other self corrected. “Because you grew up and figured out where you went wrong. And you decided you didn’t deserve them ever again. But you still have them with the others and with the kids. Why don’t you feel it with the Dino Thunder Rangers?”

“It’s my fault they’re in this mess,” he answered.

“And yet,” his other self said. “Your friends forgave you a long time ago. The Dino Thunder Rangers forgave you a long time ago. And think. What about Trent?”

“What about Trent?” Tommy asked, his anxiety spiking. Had he missed something with his newest Ranger? He wasn’t the best at this, but he’d been trying hard with the other sixth. His other self sighed loudly.

“Tommy, what was Trent wearing?” He asked. Tommy looked puzzled for a minute and then his eyes widened.

“Black.”

His eyes opened as Hayley looked relieved. He started to say something when he felt it. Worry, concern, panic, and the beginning feelings of relief and reassurance. He pushed to look for what had, in his eyes, long been gone. Multiple Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink, and Black bonds swirled around him constantly, dashing around and making it nearly impossible to see anything beyond the mass of colors. Tommy just laughed as tears came down his cheek and he felt a simple touch on his shoulder as White curled in close. For all that he could wear white, and Rocky, Adam, Aisha, and Kat could thanks to him, it was a bond he’d never had the pleasure of seeing. 

He looked back at Hayley and saw that she was crying just as hard before he pulled her to him. Just because she couldn’t see it, didn’t mean she didn’t know what had happened. He leaned into her letting her physically touch him and the bonds with his soul help him heal. He felt the four enter soon after, all of them just waiting in the doorway, not sure how to react.

_Concern._

_Anxiety._

_Uncertainty._

_Relief._

_Hope._

Tommy tried for the words to tell them how he felt back, but they stuck in his throat. Instead, he focused.

_Happiness._

_Pride._

_Love._

He watched as the black bond encircled around the quartet and then he lost sight of the colors when all four of the kids rushed over, talking at once as they realized that he finally felt it too. Apparently, his coma had finished the full bond for them all.

He had a lot to do. They still needed to fight Mesogog. He needed to reach out to all of his friends to verbally say what his bonds were already saying now. He’d need to deal with Billy’s crowing of ‘I told you so’ though Blue was going to be one of the first colors he wore. He’d have to help them convince Justin all of this was worth it and how to trust again. He’d have to protect this team of his and make sure that nothing ever hurt them again and if it did, then he needed to take of that problem and protect them. But he wasn’t thinking of that right then.

He was just submerging himself in the bonds and everything else could wait.


End file.
